Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil
Encyclopedia
The Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil was one of the principal railways of Brazil
, uniting the states of Rio de Janeiro
, São Paulo
and Minas Gerais
.
) with the provinces of São Paulo and Minas Gerais.
It was constituted as the Companhia de Estrada de Ferro Dom Pedro II, under the directorship of Christiano Benedicto Ottoni. Works commenced on 11 June 1855 and on 29 March 1858, the 48 km section from Rio de Janeiro to Freguesia de Nossa Senhora da Conceição de Marapicu (now Queimados
) was completed.
At this time there were 5 stations: Campo, Engenho Novo
, Cascadura (all in the city of Rio), Maxambomba (now Nova Iguaçu
) and Queimados. On 8 November the railway was extended to Belém (now Japeri
) at the foot of the Serra do Mar
.
) was reached and, in 1864 the Paraíba do Sul
. The first passenger train ran to Barra do Piraí
on 9 August 1864.
After crossing the Serra do Mar the line forked with the main line going in the direction of Entre Rios (now Três Rios
) and the other, the São Paulo branch, heading for Porto de Cachoeira (now Cachoeira Paulista
), reaching there on 20 July 1875.
In Entre Rios (which was reached on 13 October 1867), the EF Dom Pedro II connected with the Estrada de Rodagem União e Indústria (1861) which went from Petrópolis
to Juiz de Fora
. From there it went on to other municipalities of Minas Gerais, reaching Queluz de Minas (now Conselheiro Lafaiete
) in 1883.
was proclaimed in 1889 the Estrada de Ferro Dom Pedro II was renamed Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil (officially changing on 22 November). Meanwhile the extension works continued.
In 1895 the Minas Gerais tracks arrived at General Carneiro
and split in the directions of Belo Horizonte
and Sete Lagoas
. The city of São Paulo
had been reached in 1890 after the incorporation of the São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro railway which connected Cachoeira to São Paulo .
At the close of the 20th century, the EF Central do Brasil was still being extended, mainly by the incorporation of existing lines. However, some of the branch lines were loss making, often prejudicing the profitability of the main lines.
in Minas Gerais near the border with the state of Bahia
, on 10 September 1947 and in 1950 the Viação Férrea Federal Leste Brasileiro from Salvador also arrived there connecting with the Central do Brasil.
). One of the main consequences was the dividing up of various suburban systems which had been part of the Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil, the closure of unprofitable lines and the absorption of some sections into other railways.
With the construction and later doubling of the Presidente Dutra
motorway between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in 1967 (competing with its most lucrative line), the railway ceased to be a major player, a process aggravated by inefficient administration in the RFFSA and the fact that railway transport had ceased to be a priority of the federal government.
During the petroleum crisis of 1973 there were attempts to modernize passenger transport; like the use of Ganz-Mavag locomotives - the so called Hungarian train - between 1974 and 1978 in a failed attempt to develop a fast connection between Rio and São Paulo. In 1990 services between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo and between São Paulo and Belo Horizonte had all but ceased. There was an attempt to reinstate the Trem de Prata (silver train), a luxury service between the Rio and São Paulo run by a private company which ran for a short while but could not compete with the air and road connections between these two cities. A sparse service continued until 1996 but these were ceased with the privatization of the RFFSA.
Nowadays, the suburban lines of São Paulo are run by Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos
(CPTM) and those of Rio de Janeiro by Supervia
. The rest of the network was divided up between broad gauge (under the responsibility of MRS Logística
) and the metric gauge (under Ferrovia Centro-Atlântica (FCA)).
The name "Central do Brasil" now only exists in the terminal station of Supervia in Rio de Janeiro. This station was the setting for the film Central do Brasil
which was nominated for the best foreign language film Oscar
in 1998.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, uniting the states of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro (state)
Rio de Janeiro is one of the 27 states of Brazil.Rio de Janeiro has the second largest economy of Brazil behind only São Paulo state.The state of Rio de Janeiro is located within the Brazilian geopolitical region classified as the Southeast...
, São Paulo
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
and Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
.
Origins
On 9 February 1855, The imperial government of Brazil signed a contract with Edward Price for the construction of the first section of a railway which had the aim of linking the court (then in the city of Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
) with the provinces of São Paulo and Minas Gerais.
It was constituted as the Companhia de Estrada de Ferro Dom Pedro II, under the directorship of Christiano Benedicto Ottoni. Works commenced on 11 June 1855 and on 29 March 1858, the 48 km section from Rio de Janeiro to Freguesia de Nossa Senhora da Conceição de Marapicu (now Queimados
Queimados
Queimados is a city and a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. Its population was 136,509 and its area is 77 km²....
) was completed.
At this time there were 5 stations: Campo, Engenho Novo
Engenho Novo
The Engenho Novo is a neighborhood of middle class and lower middle of the northern city of Rio de Janeiro. It neighbors the neighborhoods Méier, Vila Isabel, Lins de Vasconcelos, Sampaio, Bairro Jacaré, Cachambi and Grajaú. It has 264.48 hectares of land area...
, Cascadura (all in the city of Rio), Maxambomba (now Nova Iguaçu
Nova Iguaçu
Nova Iguaçu is a city in southeast Brazil in the Baixada Fluminense region of Rio de Janeiro state. It was the state's second largest city until Mesquita was split off, and now is the fourth largest after São Gonçalo and Duque de Caxias. It lies northwest of the city of Rio de Janeiro, on the...
) and Queimados. On 8 November the railway was extended to Belém (now Japeri
Japeri
Japeri is a city, and a município , in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeast region of Brazil. This city was founded on June 30, 1991. Is very known to be located next to the last station of the largest branch of the railroad of Brazil , whose image has been stamps in Brazil...
) at the foot of the Serra do Mar
Serra do Mar
Serra do Mar is a 1,500 km long system of mountain ranges and escarpments in Southeastern Brazil, which runs in parallel to the Atlantic Ocean coast from the state of Espírito Santo to southern Santa Catarina, although some include Serra Geral in the Serra do Mar, in which case this range...
.
Expansion
In 1860, the Japeri to Macacos branch was completed. On 12 July 1863 Rodeio (now Engenheiro Paulo de FrontinEngenheiro Paulo de Frontin
Engenheiro Paulo de Frontin is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. Its population was 12,229 and its area is 139 km²....
) was reached and, in 1864 the Paraíba do Sul
Paraíba do Sul
thumbThe Paraíba do Sul , or simply termed Paraíba, is a river in the south-east of Brazil. It flows 1,137 kilometres west to northeast from its farthest source at the source of the river Paraitinga to the sea near Campos...
. The first passenger train ran to Barra do Piraí
Barra do Piraí
Barra do Piraí is a Brazilian city of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Its population was 94,332 and its area is 578 km². The area is 582,1 km². It is 127 km far away from Rio de Janeiro.-References:...
on 9 August 1864.
After crossing the Serra do Mar the line forked with the main line going in the direction of Entre Rios (now Três Rios
Três Rios
Três Rios is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. As of 2007 its population was 72,848 and its area is 325 km².As of 2009, the mayor of Três Rios is Vinicius Farah.-Sports:...
) and the other, the São Paulo branch, heading for Porto de Cachoeira (now Cachoeira Paulista
Cachoeira Paulista
Cachoeira Paulista is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2003 is 29,254. The elevation is 521 m.The Brazilian Decimetric Array radio telescope is situated in Cachoeira Paulista....
), reaching there on 20 July 1875.
In Entre Rios (which was reached on 13 October 1867), the EF Dom Pedro II connected with the Estrada de Rodagem União e Indústria (1861) which went from Petrópolis
Petrópolis
Petrópolis , also known as The Imperial City of Brazil, is a town in the state of Rio de Janeiro, about 65 km from the city of Rio de Janeiro....
to Juiz de Fora
Juiz de Fora
-Industry, Trade, and Culture:Juiz de Fora is the second most important industrial center in the state of Minas Gerais, despite being the fourth largest in terms of population. It was once the state's largest city, position which was held up until the beginning of the 20th century...
. From there it went on to other municipalities of Minas Gerais, reaching Queluz de Minas (now Conselheiro Lafaiete
Conselheiro Lafaiete
Conselheiro Lafaiete is a city of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is situated 96 km south from Belo Horizonte, capital of Minas Gerais, in one of the most important economic areas of Brazil. The population was 113.019 inhabitants, in 2006. It's one of the most populated cities of MG.-See...
) in 1883.
The EF Central do Brasil
When the Brazilian republicRepublic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
was proclaimed in 1889 the Estrada de Ferro Dom Pedro II was renamed Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil (officially changing on 22 November). Meanwhile the extension works continued.
In 1895 the Minas Gerais tracks arrived at General Carneiro
General Carneiro
General Carneiro is the southernmost city in the Brazilian state of Paraná....
and split in the directions of Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...
and Sete Lagoas
Sete Lagoas
Sete Lagoas is a city in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The municipal area is 537 km² while the population was 217,506 in 2007.-Location:...
. The city of São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
had been reached in 1890 after the incorporation of the São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro railway which connected Cachoeira to São Paulo .
At the close of the 20th century, the EF Central do Brasil was still being extended, mainly by the incorporation of existing lines. However, some of the branch lines were loss making, often prejudicing the profitability of the main lines.
Connection to Bahia
The railway arrived at Monte AzulMonte Azul
Monte Azul is a municipality in the north of the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. The population in 2007 was 23,477 in an area of 992 km². The elevation is 582 meters. It became a municipality in 1878. The postal code is 39500-000....
in Minas Gerais near the border with the state of Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
, on 10 September 1947 and in 1950 the Viação Férrea Federal Leste Brasileiro from Salvador also arrived there connecting with the Central do Brasil.
Final Days
On March 16, 1957 the company came under the control of Rede Ferroviária Federal S.A. (RFFSARFFSA
The Rede Ferroviária Federal, Sociedade Anônima was the state-owned national railway company of Brazil. It was created in 1957, and dissolved between 1999–2007.-Constituent Railways:...
). One of the main consequences was the dividing up of various suburban systems which had been part of the Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil, the closure of unprofitable lines and the absorption of some sections into other railways.
With the construction and later doubling of the Presidente Dutra
Eurico Gaspar Dutra
Eurico Gaspar Dutra , was a Brazilian marshal, politician and president of Brazil from 1946–1951.He was born in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, and like many other Brazilians, was from Azorean-Portuguese origin...
motorway between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in 1967 (competing with its most lucrative line), the railway ceased to be a major player, a process aggravated by inefficient administration in the RFFSA and the fact that railway transport had ceased to be a priority of the federal government.
During the petroleum crisis of 1973 there were attempts to modernize passenger transport; like the use of Ganz-Mavag locomotives - the so called Hungarian train - between 1974 and 1978 in a failed attempt to develop a fast connection between Rio and São Paulo. In 1990 services between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo and between São Paulo and Belo Horizonte had all but ceased. There was an attempt to reinstate the Trem de Prata (silver train), a luxury service between the Rio and São Paulo run by a private company which ran for a short while but could not compete with the air and road connections between these two cities. A sparse service continued until 1996 but these were ceased with the privatization of the RFFSA.
Nowadays, the suburban lines of São Paulo are run by Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos
Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos
Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos is a commuter rail company owned by the São Paulo State Secretariat for Metropolitan Transports. It was created in 1992 from several railroads that already existed in Greater São Paulo, Brazil....
(CPTM) and those of Rio de Janeiro by Supervia
SuperVia
SuperVia is a Brazilian train operator founded in Rio de Janeiro in November 1998. It carries around 126 million passengers a year on a railroad network comprising 89 stations in 11 cities: Rio de Janeiro, Duque de Caxias, Nova Iguaçu, Nilópolis, Mesquita, Queimados, São João de Meriti, Belford...
. The rest of the network was divided up between broad gauge (under the responsibility of MRS Logística
MRS Logística
MRS Logística S.A. is a freight rail company located in Brazil that operates of track. It is the concessionary company that operates the Southestearn Federal Railroad Network .-History:The operation started in 1996, combining the lines Rio de Janeiro-São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro-Belo Horizonte, São...
) and the metric gauge (under Ferrovia Centro-Atlântica (FCA)).
The name "Central do Brasil" now only exists in the terminal station of Supervia in Rio de Janeiro. This station was the setting for the film Central do Brasil
Central do Brasil (film)
Central Station is a 1998 Brazilian/French drama film set in Brazil. It tells the story of a young boy's friendship with a jaded middle-aged woman. The film was adapted by Marcos Bernstein and João Emanuel Carneiro from a story by Walter Salles and it was directed by the latter. It features...
which was nominated for the best foreign language film Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
in 1998.